Five People
by Suni-Dlight
Summary: Ten Of them will return to repeat their seventh year. Will they be able to begin anew or will old grudges resurface? One things for sure: None of them will leave without learning something about themselves
1. Eighth Years

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Draco stared at his mother who stared back at him, both of them seemingly at lost for what to do. The whole summer, it had just been the two of them (father dearest was locked up in Azkaban for the time being) and while they had become closer without the ever watchful eye of Lucius and Draco realized how much he would miss his mother, public displays of affection were still hilariously awkward.

Narcissa leaned forward as if to press a kiss to his cheek but stopped, choosing instead to wrap her arms hesitantly around his shoulders. It wasn't a hard feet but seeing as how he was nearly a head taller than her, the willowy woman had to rise up on her toes a bit. Draco gently patted her back, so not used to this.

"Do be careful this year, darling," Narcissa said, stepping back. "And do try to write once a week. Your letters will be what keeps me sane."

Narcissa was on house arrest but she had pleaded that the Ministry allow Draco to go back to school, under probation of course. Magic was only allowed for him in the classroom.

"Yes, mother," he said.

A whistle sounded and this time Narcissa did place a kiss on his cheek before moving back to where the Ministry officials were waiting for her. Draco gave a slight wave before climbing up onto the train. Quickly, he found a compartment as the train started to move. He really didn't want to be bothered.

Sighing, he laid his head back against his seat. He hadn't even made it to school yet and already he wanted to go home. What was there for him to do? Sure he could study for a career but in the end, would anyone really hire him? He, did after all, try to kill Dumbledore, no matter if he hadn't succeeded, and it was his fault that the other Death Eaters got in to the castle and so many people got hurt.

So what was he doing here?

The compartment door slid open and he sat up, slightly shocked to find himself staring Hermione Granger.

She still looked the same, he supposed. Her hair was still the matted mess of curls it had been during the war, her eyes still that dark brown color. . . . Though they looked slightly haunted, her eyes, sad. . . .

They stared at each other for a moment, as if contemplating exactly what to do before she cleared her throat. "Wrong compartment," she muttered before shutting the door and leaving.

Draco continued to stare at the spot where she had been. What did she have to look so sad about? Her side had won the war. She, Potter, and Weasley had been on the front page of the prophet that whole summer, how they were fixing up the school, how they were working with Kingsley Shakelbolt, how Potter and Weasley were going training to become Aurors, how Granger wanted to go into work in the Department of Law Enforcement while working with non-human magical beings. Surely this is all that she had wished for her and her friends.

But he forgot about it soon, when Gregory Goyle came in, sitting across from him. The other boy gave him a tentative smile before looking out the window. Draco couldn't help but stare at him also, slightly confused. He hadn't seen or talked to the other boy since the incident with Crabbe. . . .

He cleared his throat. "How . . . how was your summer?" he asked.

Gregory looked at him, almost surprised. "It was . . . okay, I guess. Yours?"

"It was . . . well, it just was." It was different from other summers. No family vacations, obviously, if you couldn't leave the house and your father was in jail.

Gregory, however, nodded. "I'm with you there."

The left corner of Draco's mouth twitched slightly, almost the semblance of a smile. Gregory had always probably been the smarter of the two boys that had accompanied Draco.

Gregory gave an almighty sigh, leaning his head back against the seat. "What are we even doing here?"

Draco could do nothing but shake his head, considering he had just had the same thought.

The other boy hesitated before saying, "There's more of a chance for you I think. You know Potter testified for you and your mom?"

Draco sat up. He had heard about his father's case but he hadn't gone, hadn't read about it in the papers. He already knew that his father was getting life in Azkaban. And, though he had expected to be an Azkaban too, somehow he ended up on probation and back at Hogwarts. He hadn't questioned it and decided to just go with the flow, though he really wish he hadn't. "Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear? Shocked everyone because he claimed you didn't have control of your actions. He told them what your mom did too, how she told – V-V-Voldemort he was dead and saved his life."

Draco was just as shocked as Gregory. He hadn't known either of that nor had his mother told him. But then again, he had asked not to know about the trail.

Potter stood up and testified for him?

How . . . uncharacteristic. . . .

If anything he thought Potter would jump at the first chance to condemn him to jail.

Huh.

He didn't know whether or not to feel grateful or to mock Potter for being such a Gryffindor.

Either way. . . .

Sighing to himself, he looked out the window, watching the scenery go past.

What was he doing here?

* * *

The Great Hall seemed slightly over crowded with the addition of the ten students who had returned to returned to do their seventh year over. Among those were: Draco, of course, Goyle, Granger, Hannah Abbott, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, The Patil twins, and Lavender Brown.

Great. Stuck here with all these Gryffindors. He was surprised that not more Ravenclaw students had come back.

McGonagall made her way up to the podium. "You are all excused to go to your dorms. Your Prefects will lead you. I would, however, like to have our Eighth Years to stay behind show we can show you to your new quarters."

Eighth Years.

How creative.

The ten of them waited for the Great Hall to empty, noticing the tall, slender witch who waited at the staff table. McGonagall had introduced her as Professor Willow, but hadn't given any title other than that. Draco had first assumed that she was to be their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor but that person had been introduced as Professor Hictor Arguld, an angry looking man with sharp eyes and no hair.

Draco supposed he preferred Professor Arguld over Professor Willow. The woman looked positively spacey. Maybe not Trelawney spacey but spacey enough with her dirty blond hair falling down her back, slightly graying and her lavender and pink flowing robes. She had sat the whole feast with this slight smile on her face as if everything was sunshine.

Annoying really.

"First off," McGonagall said once the hall was clear, "I wanted to personally welcome you all back to school this year. For you to return shows dedication to your education. We know how absolutely stressful last year was for all of us. This year, the Ministry has supplied us with a Counselor."

Draco blanched slightly, noticing a lot of the other Eighth Years do the same. They didn't really expect him to spill his heart to this lady, did they?

"Also, for Eighth Years, a mandatory Grief, Acceptance, and House Unity class will be added to your schedules along with the classes you will be taking for N.E.W.T.s."

The groan that had been held back at the mention of a counselor could not be contained at the mention of a mandatory "Acceptance" class. A sharp glance from McGonagall shut them all up, however, before she continued. "Now, if you will follow me, I will lead you to your House."

Draco exchanged a glance with Gregory. They were all going to be sharing a dorm?

This was going to be a horribly long year.

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**A/N: So, this is a new one. I hope you guys like it so far. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Grief, Acceptance, and Unity

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Draco was the first one in Acceptance class that day. It was right after dinner but he had seen the rest stay behind as if they were too afraid to go. Professor Willow wasn't there yet, thankfully. Draco wasn't sure what he would do if he had to be there alone with her.

Five minutes before the hour, Granger came in. She gave him one look before moving to the back of the classroom. Since when did Granger voluntarily sit in the back of the classroom?

Gregory came in next, smiling slightly as he took a seat next to Draco in the middle of the room. It was weird really, to see the other boy smile so much. But then, it was weird to see anyone smiling nowadays.

The rest of the Eighth years began straggling in until the class was partially full. In the distance the bell chimed seven and Professor Willow came bursting into the classroom from a side door like a jolt of energy. She looked like lightning too in her bright yellow robes, and for a moment, Draco was horribly reminded of Gilderoy Lockhart in female form.

"Welcome, my dears, to Grief, Acceptance, and House Unity, or, G.A.H.U," she said with a giggle. "Oh," she added, looking around the classroom at the clusters and cliques that had been formed. "This will never do. Stand up please."

The class did as told and Professor Willow pulled her wand and roll sheet from her robe pocket. She 'hmmed' to herself before waving her wand across the classroom. The desk moved together into groups of two, then those groups of two moved into one big circle, and little nametags popped up on each desk. "Find your name and take a seat."

Seeing none of his names on any of the desks in the back, Draco moved down front, seeing an eloquent Draco M. written just above the name Hermione G. right in front of Professor Willow's desk.

The girl in question approached the desk cautiously, dropping her bag when she saw her name. Glancing up at Draco, she quickly took a seat. Draco followed suit.

Soon the whole class was mixed: Draco and Granger, Gregory and Lavender Brown, Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Padma Patil, and Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil.

"Much better," Professor Willow said with a smile. "Now, you will have a chance to get to know people you may not have talked to before. These will be your seats for the rest of the year and your partners for the rest of the year.

"Today will be just for us to get to know each other, alright? One by one we're going to stand up state your name and say one interesting fact about ourselves. I'll start to break the ice. . . . My name is Willow and I recently learned how to ride a bike. Alright, who's next?"

Silence in the classroom. Draco rolled his eyes. This was so pointless.

"Shall I call on someone?" Professor Willow asked. Silence still. "Hmm. How about you, Miss Parvati?"

Rolling her eyes, Parvati stood up. "My name is Parvati and I am a twin."

Padma stood as her sister sat, and stated in the exact same tone, "My name is Padma and I am a twin."

Thomas snorted with laughter, causing Professor Willow to spin towards him. "Mr. Thomas."

The Gryffindor stood, shaking his head at his friend across from him. "My name is Dean and I am a big fan of football. A Muggle sport," he added when everyone but Hermione looked confused. His gaze shifted to Draco as if he dared him to say something.

"Who's next?" Professor Willow asked in a sing song voice.

Neville Longbottom got to his feet. There was something different about him, Draco noticed almost immediately. Though they had only been there a day, Longbottom didn't seem to be the same nervous bumbling fool that Draco had gotten used to seeing. This Longbottom seemed almost confident. "My name's Neville and Herbology is my favorite subject."

He sat back down and Abbott grinned at him, getting to her feet. "My name is Hannah and I want to own a bed-and-breakfast."

"Oh how wonderful, dear," Willow said, smiling. "I've always loved those quaint little places. . . . Next please. Mr. Goyle?"

Gregory blanched slightly, slowly getting to his feet. Draco knew how much the other boy hated to be put on the spot. He barely talked as it was. "Er . . . My name is, er –"

"Dimwit," Finnigan coughed and Thomas snorted with laughter again.

"Now, now," Willow said in a firm voice. "This class will teach you how to be polite and wait your turn Mr. Finnigan. We are here to learn how to respect one another. Do continue Mr. Goyle."

"Right," Gregory said, looking down at his hands. "My name is Gregory and I like Transfigurations."

"Very good, Gregory. We'll soon have you enjoying public speaking as well." If possible, Gregory blanched even further but Willow didn't notice. "Now, Mr. Finnigan since you were so eager to share your opinion, how about you take a turn."

Finnigan smirked, standing. "My name is Seamus and I enjoy a good laugh obviously."

Brown stood up, obviously not wishing to be called on. "My name is Lavender and I happen to enjoy the color pink."

"Ironic indeed," Willow said, smiling. "Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco stood, dreading this. What interesting thing could he say? "My name is Draco and I was named after a constellation."

"Lovely," Willow said. She turned her eyes to Granger. "Last but certainly not least. . . ."

Granger stared at Willow. "I'd rather not."

The class gaped at her, but Willow was unfazed. "Come now dear. Everyone participated."

Granger frowned but she stood anyway. "My name is Hermione and I really don't want to be here."

Well. That certainly was interesting for her. Since when did Granger not willingly volunteer in a class?

"We'll see if we can't change that, hmm?" Willow said. "Now, that we're all acquainted, I'm going to give you your first assignment, which is really very simple. This assignment will last you till the end of the year, really. I want you to think of five people, any five people living or otherwise, who, if you could say anything to them, you would want to speak with. You are going to write each of these persons a letter. We're not going to send them. I'm not even going to read them. This exercise is simply to help you get your feelings in order and off your chest. For the rest of the class period, I want you to consider your five people. Write them down if you need too."`

People scuffled unenthusiastically for parchment. Draco pulled a rumple sheet from his bag, grabbing his inkwell and quill.

Who did he want to talk too?

Was he really going to do this exercise? Willow said she wasn't even going to check it. . .

But when he really thought about it. . . .

He wished Severus was still here, alive. Draco's heart clenched slightly at the thought of his godfather and mentor. Severus had always been there for Draco when he needed him.

And Merlin did he need him now.

Dipping his quill into the ink, Draco scribbled _Severus_ at the top of his paper. That was one at least.

"Think hard class," Willow said. "You could want to speak to a parent or maybe even someone long gone. . . ."

_Dumbledore_

Draco stared down at the name he hadn't meant to write. What did he have to say to him?

The bell tolled and Professor Willow held up her wand as everyone hurried to leave. "Just a moment."

Pieces of parchment appeared in front of them with their names next to times and days. You'll find a schedule for when you are to come and meet with me. Each session is twice a week for thirty minutes and matches with your class schedule. Have a nice evening."

The class dispersed without a word to one another except for a few of the Gryffindors, Padma Patil and Abbott, acting as if the all weren't going to the same dorm. Gregory and Draco walked together at the back of the group while Granger trailed in front of them all. Professor Willow made a note of that.

She'd fix them. They'd know the meaning of unity before the year was out she was sure.

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**A/N: And now we know why it's called five people lol. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.**


	3. The First Letter

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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The Eight Year Common room was cozy, surprisingly, decorated in a mixture of all the House colors. At least half a dozen couches and armchairs sat in a cluster, a huge fireplace set up, warm and ready. In the corners, secluded to allow privacy and quiet, were tables to do homework. On either side of the fireplace were the stairs that led up to the boys' and girls' dorms respectively.

Draco sat in one of those secluded corners of the common room, a piece of parchment in front of him.

Severus

"Did you start the assignment?"

Draco covered up the name and looked up at Gregory. "I don't know if I'm going to even do it yet."

"Oh." Gregory sat across from him. "I've started. Letter to . . . to Vincent."

Draco nodded. It was understandable. The two boys had been fairly close.

"Good choice," he said.

"How 'bout you?" Gregory asked.

Draco couldn't believe they were really having this conversation. Boys didn't talk about this type of stuff, especially not them.

He shrugged. "I don't really know yet."

"Say, what do you think the problem is with Granger?" Gregory asked, obviously realizing that the letters was not a topic Draco wished to continue.

Again, Draco Shrugged. The Gryffindor did seem unusually depressed as of late. She didn't speak in class. She barely even spoke to her fellow Housemates, save Longbottom. It bugged him, surprisingly. He was so used to hearing that loud mouth of hers. Having her being the know-it-all once more would have brought some semblance of normalcy to the odd Eighth year.

Draco looked up to find Gregory now working on his letter again. He looked down at his own. "I think I'll head to bed."

Gregory attempted a smirk. "Night."

Draco gathered his things and hurried up the stairs to his room. Finnigan and Thomas glared at him when he entered. Draco ignored them though, getting onto his bed in the farthest corners of the room and drawing the curtains.

It was just light enough in the room that he could still work.

_Severus_

Chewing on the end of his quill, he began his first letter.

_Severus_

_I can't fight the feeling that maybe I failed you._

_To this day, I'm not sure what you wanted from me or expected of me, but I'm fairly sure that it would have been more than this, where I am now._

_I still can't believe you're gone, and I'm sure the last time I saw you, we were arguing. I was scared and you were trying to help me but I didn't want to listen._

_You've always been there for me and I've always pushed you away._

_I'm sorry._

_I hope you'll forgive me for everything because I feel as if I let you down._

_I am so, so sorry, Severus._

_Your Godson,_

_Draco_

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**A/N: So this chapter is horribly short, I know and I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed it though and next chapter should be longer. Thanks a bunch for reading.**


	4. Confusion

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Draco stared.

Willow stared back.

Time was slowly ticking by on Draco's wrist watch.

This was how the last ten minutes of his "session" had gone, with a few pleasantries. He had nothing to say. Maybe he was grieving, he'd admit that, but she didn't need to know that. He certainly wasn't going to discuss his problems with her.

"So this is a change, I hear," Willow said, smiling.

"What is?" I asked, confused.

"You being so quiet and reclusive," she explained. "Your teachers say you used to be very talkative, excitable."

"You did a background check on me?"

"Just gathered useful information. They say this change didn't come about until your six year. Would you like to tell me why?"

Draco felt his eye twitch. She knew perfectly well "why". He kept a blank face though. "Not particularly."

Willow 'hmmed', jotting something down. "Would you say it has anything to do with the war?"

What kind of question was that? "I suppose."

"What specifically about the war?"

The pain.

The fear.

The death surrounding him. . . .

"I don't know."

Another 'hmm' and another jot. "How about we end a little early today. This was just a getting to know a little more about you session. I'll see you in class tonight."

Draco nodded, grabbing his stuff and heading quickly for the door.

On his way out, he heard another 'hmm'.

* * *

"Today class, we're going to play another getting to know you game," Willow said, sounding excited. Draco shook his head. She really liked these 'getting to know you' games. "In this task, you will go around asking the questions on the paper in front of you. Whenever someone is able to answer the question, they will sign your paper."

Draco stared down at the assignment. The title read 'Find Me!'. How corny.

The first question was dumb. 'Which one of us has been outside of England?'

Hadn't he heard Granger say something about going to Paris before? He looked over at her, noticing she hadn't made a move to get up either.

"Granger –" He stopped when she slid her paper over to him, taking his paper.

"We can make this a lot more tolerable if we are halfway through, yeah? She said, quickly signing under the first question.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise but he signed her paper in five places: 'Who's been outside of England?', 'Who loves Quidditch?', 'Which one of us has never been to Muggle London?', 'Which one of us has a spring birthday?' and 'Which one of knows how to play chess?'. He checked to make sure there wasn't anything else he could sign before trading papers with Granger. Besides the first question, she signed one about a cat, hating flying, fear of snakes, Muggle London, and chess.

"Now we've both only have five left," Granger said, moving to get out of her seat. "Thank you."

"Er. . . ." Talk about an interesting turn of events. "You're welcome."

She got up, moving over to Longbottom. He looked through the ten person crowd and found Greg who looked incredibly bored.

Getting up he crossed to him. The other boy smiled. "Got any you need filled out?"

"You tell me," Draco said, trading parchments.

He couldn't help but look over at Granger who was now in conversation with Longbottom, though he was doing most of the talking.

What had all that been about?

What was her problem?

A better question to ask himself was why did he care? He never had before the war.

But then again, the war had changed a lot of people.

He wondered if she thought of that night, when she, Potter, and Weasley had been at the Manor. . . . He thought about it a lot actually. He thought about how he recognized otter, knew it had to be him if Granger and Weasley had been there but felt compelled to lie. He thought how he couldn't watch as Bellatrix tortured Granger. He thought about how her screams had pierced him. . . .

Granger suddenly looked to him and he quickly turned back to Gregory who was still talking. He hadn't even realized he had been staring.

The clock tolled and the Eight Years turned in their papers before filing out the room, Granger way in front of the rest and Draco and Gregory still trailing behind.

Though Draco hadn't noticed that he was staring, Professor Willow had and she had marked it all down. The Professor didn't miss a thing and she was certainly going to use that to her advantage.

* * *

_Dumbledore,_

_Bet you're surprised that you're the second person I wrote to._

_Yeah, well, so am I._

_You were always a crazy old, Muggle-loving fool to me. You were a symbol of all that I was supposed to hate. I smiled in your face and behind your back I ridicule you. You were ridiculous after all, putting so much faith in Potter, always smiling, always calm, always just so damn unpredictable. . . ._

_And yet you were always right._

_Potter took down Voldemort just like you expected and you turned out not to be such a crackpot after all._

_When I think back to the night you offered to hide me and my family. I would have let you help me._

_Would that have made me a coward? Running away, hiding? Or would that have made me brave for trying to make a change in my life? My father would have never accepted your help. We would have all died to save his pride._

_It's all so confusing!_

_I feel so lost! I__'m not that same person I was! HELL __I don't even know who I am anymore!_

Draco took a deep breath, realizing his writing was becoming frantic along with his heart. He hadn't expected to put all of that in the letter. Taking another deep breath, he began to write again.

_I suppose what I am trying to say is that I am sorry. I wish there was some way to take it all back, that I could rewind time. Technically speaking, I could if I were, you know, allowed access to a time turner but that will never happen._

_I apologize for not trusting you like you had wanted me to._

_I wish I had taken your hand._

_Draco_

Draco turned off his light, getting into his bed and drawing the curtains.

He didn't know who he was?

He _didn't_ know who he was.

The realization was down heartening at best. What the hell was he supposed to do if he didn't know who he was?

And how did he figure that out?

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**A/N: A bit longer this time right. Hope you all liked it and stay tuned for next time. I could of sworn i put this chapter up. Sorry it took me so long to update.**


	5. Feelings

**Disclaimer: Not mine at all.**

**WARNING: LANGUAGE!**

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"Tell me about your father."

Draco glared at Willow. "Why?"

Willow shrugged. "I just figured, what with him being on trial –"

"It's none of your business."

"Alright." Willow smiled, marking something down.

For the last four weeks, Draco had done well to not give Willow any ammunition against him. Now this. He scoffed to himself, way to go.

"What about your mother? How is she?"

Draco gritted his teeth. "She's fine."

"I only ask these questions because it feels as if I don't truly know you."

"What makes you think you have the right to know me?"

Willow simply smiled. "It's my job."

"I don't know why I'm here," Draco said, glaring at the woman. "I don't want to be here. This whole thing is pointless."

"Why?"

"I don't need counseling."

"Are you so sure?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Draco, for two years, you lived under the pressure of the evilest wizard of the age, your father could possibly be sentenced to Azkaban for life and –"

"Stop it. You had no right to dig into my life."

"I'm only trying to help, Draco. Surely that's understandable."

"You're not though. You're not helping."

"So what can I do for you?"

"Nothing! There's nothing you can do so why even bother?"

"Because there must be some way I can help."

Draco jumped to his feet, completely frustrated now. "There's not! There's no reason for you to even try!"

Willow smiled again. "Very good, Draco."

Draco stared at her, confused. "What?"

"This is the most animated I've ever seen you get. This emotion in you is what I've been looking for since the beginning."

"So, all you wanted to do is . . . is rile me up?"

"Well not rile you up, per say," Willow explained. "Draco, you are a very passionate individual with a spirit greater than most. To hide that passion from yourself is dangerous and it's such a shame we can't seem to find you an outlet . . . your professors told me you were once interested in Quidditch."

"I don't play anymore," Draco said, sinking back into his chair. He was too in shock to be angry with her, to realize what he was saying.

"Why is that?"

"I only played Quidditch because –" Draco stopped, folding his arms and leaning back in the chair. He had only played Quidditch to prove that he was just as good as Potter, to make his father proud about something he had done. . . . But he wasn't going to tell that to her. He had already proven himself venerable enough.

"Go on, Draco," Willow said smiling.

"No, I'd rather not." Draco looked up at the clock behind her desk. "Are we quite finished here?"

Willow also looked up to the clock. "I believe we are. We'll start from here next week. "

Draco grabbed his things, hurrying from the classroom as Willow continued to scratch down notes on her ever present notepad.

* * *

_**Father**_

_i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**FUCK YOU **_i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**EVERYTHING I EVER DID WAS FOR YOU**_ i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you_ **I WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU** _i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING FROM ME** _i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**YOU MAKE ME SICK** _i hate you i hate you _**FUCK YOU**_ i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _I **DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE **_i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you fuck i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**MY LIFE IS RUINED BECAUSE OF YOU** _i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME** _i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you _**FUCK YOU **_i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you_ **I HOPE YOU ROT!!!  
**

**DRACO**

The 'o' in his name was ended so viciously that he pocked a hole into the parchment. The result ended up in an inky mess on the table.

This in turn woke Draco out of the stupor he had put himself in. He cursed silently to himself, scooting back quickly before the ink could drip on his pants. Looking up, he saw Granger watching him, a quill poised in her hand too and a piece of parchment on her lap.

Shocked, he watched as she got up, pulling her wand out of her robes. She moved towards him, glancing at his mess before giving a quick sweep of the wand. The ink cleared itself out and the hole disappeared from his parchment.

The two teens, however, were watching each other, Draco confused. "Er, thanks," he said, breaking the silence.

Granger nodded, moving back to her seat. If she had noticed at all what he had been writing, she didn't say anything about it and for that he was very grateful.

Sitting back down, he glanced over his shoulder at her once more.

What was wrong with her?

He looked at his letter to his father again before folding it up. He couldn't really describe the way he felt, he thought as he walked past Granger to go upstairs to his dorm. He couldn't even say for sure if he liked this new feeling.

Going up the stairs he clenched the letter in his hand though he felt . . . freer then he had a moment ago.

Was it possible? If it was true, it would be the first time he felt like this since the war.

He couldn't tell.

But as he lay down in bed that night, he had to admit he liked this feeling.

He felt . . . good.

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**A/N: Hey all. Here's the next chapter, hope you liked. I'll see you next time.**


	6. Falling

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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"Today class, we're going to do something different."

Draco tried not to audibly sigh. He was glad they were finally moving on even if he didn't want to be here. The 'Getting-To-Know-You' classes were steadily getting more annoying.

"Today," Willow said with the utmost excitement, "we will be playing a little game of trust. Everyone stand up."

The class did so, albeit a bit reluctantly and all the desks were pushed to the side with a swish of Willow's wand. A small step stool also appeared beside Willow's now cleared desk.

"All the girls please come over here please," Willow said. "Line up here, thank you. Now, a big issue that has been commonly seen among our species and the Houses of Hogwarts is trust. We continually suspect something bad of another before really taking the chance to get to know them. So today will be the girls and Thursday will be the boys."

"What exactly will we be doing?" Brown asked.

Willow smiled. "Falling."

"Excuse me?" Parvati asked, utterly horrified.

"You have been paired my darling with a gentlemen you have hardly ever spoken to before in your whole seven years of schooling. You are going to fall from my slightly raised desk, putting all your trust and faith into this man to catch you."

"Are you out of your mind?" Lavender said, eying Gregory. "There is no way that I will ever –"

"Full participation is necessary for a grade, Miss Brown," Willow interjected swiftly.

Lavender huffed, folding her arms. When Willow was sure the girl wouldn't speak anymore, she smiled again. "Who wants to go first then?"

Looking at the girls squirm uncomfortably, Draco realized that none of them were on any of their Quidditch teams nor did they look like the types to care about Quidditch. This could be for two reason: one – they were all too frilly to participate in anything like Quidditch (which in Grangers case was most definitely not the case he was sure after hearing about her trump through the forests of London with 'the boys'); or two – they were scared of heights. From the way most of them were eyeing the raised desk the second reason seemed more likely.

"Shall I call on someone?" Willow asked. She turned to the boys. "Hmm . . . Mr. Finnigan! Which one of these lovely young ladies is your partner?"

Seamus Finnigan smirked. "Padma."

"Lovely," Willow said, smiling. She held out her hand to the girl. "Miss Padma, please step up."

Hesitantly, the girl stepped onto the step stool and it rose to further help her get up onto the desk. "This is crazy," she mumbled, looking down at Finnigan who looked mysteriously suspicious.

"Oh come on, Padma," Finnigan said, still smirking dangerously. "I'll catch you."

"Remember to cross your arms, dear," Willow told her, "so you don't go flailing about."

Patil looked down at Willow who was still smiling. "If he drops me, I'll have no excuse for what I do to him when I get back up."

Before she could come up with an excuse not to do it, Padma turned, crossed her arms across her chest, and took a deep breath as if she were going to dive under water. She fell backwards and Finnigan lifted his arms at the last second and caught her lightly.

"Well done, you two!" Willow said, clapping her hands. "Well done! Alright, who's next poppets? Mr. Longbottom?"

"Hannah," Neville said, smiling at her.

Abbott gazed back for a moment before a small smile came to her face. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up on the stool and then the desk. Looking down at Neville for a moment again, she turned and fell into Neville's awaiting arms.

"What a wonderful display of trust, Miss Abbott! Mr. Goyle?"

"Er," Gregory said, "Lavender Brown."

Brown glared at him for a moment before switching her glare to Willow, mumbling the whole time she stepped up to the desk. "Can't believe this. This has to be against some safety code or something. The big oaf better not drop me. . . ."

"Now, now . . . none of that Miss Brown," Willow scolded. "Come on now."

Still glaring, Lavender turned, crossed her arms, and fell, squealing as she landed in Goyle's arms. He put her down quickly and stepped away.

"Three down," Willow said in a sing-song voice. "Mr. Thomas."

"Parvati."

The girl took a shaky breath. "I'm really not comfortable doing this."

"Come on now dear," Willow told her, gently pushing her towards the stool. "It'll be over before you know it."

Gulping, Parvati climbed on the desk and closed her eyes. She screamed as she fell back into Thomas' arms. He caught her with ease, laughing at her obvious discomfort as she quickly jumped from his arms, shaking.

"Miss Granger," Willow said, smiling at her.

Granger gazed at her indifferently for a minute before switching her eyes to the desk. "I'm not seeing what this will accomplish."

"A base of trust, Miss Granger," Willow explained in that same kindly manner but it seemed frigid for some reason. Draco assumed that Granger must not be giving the woman an easy time in her private sessions either.

"So me falling off a desk into Malfoy's arms is going to make me trust him?" Granger asked.

"It is a base, Miss Granger, a start. I'm sure you can understand that and I'm positive that you don't want to lose any grade points for not participating."

Ouch.

That was a low blow even for Draco. Had she really just threatened Granger's grade?

For a moment, Draco was sure he saw a flash of that light, that spark that made Granger who she was but it disappeared quickly. Sighing, the fight gone, she stepped up on the stool, rising to the desk. On her way up, she looked in his direction. Not quite sure what that meant, he stepped up to the desk, and held up his arms.

She fell as soon as she saw that he was ready. His right hand gripped tightly around her shoulder and his left grabbed just above her knee, catching her gently though, light as she was, he feared he might drop her.

Now that was odd.

He couldn't ever recall being worried about harming Granger before.

Quickly he set her down and stepped away from her. Well . . . definitely weird.

"Well done, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger," Willow said, smiling this secret-like smile. "Well done. Well class, I believe that will be all for today. Next class, it's the girls' turn."

The class quickly departed, Draco once more walking with Gregory. He felt a small hand on his arm that made him stop. He turned, surprised to find Granger there.

"Thank you," she said softly, "for catching me."

Shocked completely, Draco shot Greg a look that was matched in its surprise before he muttered an equally surprising. "Welcome."

Granger removed her hand as if she had been bitten and walked away. Draco exchanged another brief glance with Greg, who shrugged, and they continued down the hall.

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**A/N: I am so sorry u guys that it took me this long to update. It's been a horribly hectic first couple of weeks of school. I hoped u enjoyed it. **


	7. Trust

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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From that day on, Draco took to watching Granger, her odd behavior. She didn't speak to anyone really, besides pleasantries and she had become reclusive….

What on earth was wrong with her?

The next class session, Draco entered to find a black cloth sitting on his desk. Hesistantly he picked it up as he sat down. Many of the other guys did the same.

"What kind of kinky class is this gonna be?" Seamus Finnigan asked. "What do you reckon we gotta do with these?"

Professor Willow came swooping out of her office, wand in hand. "Gentlemen! In front of you sit blindfolds. Please take them and tie them across your eyes."

The boys stared at her. Of course, it was Finnigan who spoke. "What the bloody hell do we need to be blindfolded for?"

"Well we couldn't very well have the girls trying to catch you, could we?" With a flick of her wand, the blindfolds lifted and tied themselves around the boys' hands against many protests. Draco tried to untie it but the knot wouldn't budge.

"You won't be able to take them off until the class is done," came Willow's voice from somewhere to Draco's right. "Alright ladies, come on in and get your partner. They trust you to lead them through the castle."

Draco couldn't believe what was going on! Willow could take these stupid little 'projects' of hers and shove them up her –

Fingertips brushed against the back of his hand before grabbing his wrist. He was pulled from his seat, accidently knocking his knee against the desk. "Sorry," Granger mumbled when he groaned.

Granger led him out of the classroom, he ocould tell only because he couldn't hear Finnigan's complaining anymore. They walked for a while, Draco with his arm out in front of him.

"I'm not going to crash you into anything," Grager said.

Hesistantly, Draco lowered his arm. They walked on in silence for a moment, Granger mumbling directions like 'step up' and 'turn'. After a while, draco could swear he felt the wind brush against his face. "where are we?"

"The astronomy tower," Granger told him.

"Outside?"

"Yes." Granger let go of his wrist, lifting her hands to the blindfold. Her fingertips brushed over his eyebrows at the edge of the cloth before moving into his hair, tugging at the knot. "It really doesn't come off."

"Why'd you bring me up here?" Draco asked. He was not use to this type of behavior from her. He wasn't used to her willingly wanting to touch him.

"I don't know," Granger replied. "I come up here to think often. You look like you needed to think. It works better though when you can actually see the scenary."

She fell silent. Draco felt around for the ledge and turned in the direction she might be facing.

This was definitetly weird, but not uncomfortable, surprisingly. It was actually peaceful. He had needed this.

"I wish this class had an actual point," Granger murmured. "I feel as if all these excercises are for nothing."

Draco shrugged, knowing she could see him.

Maybe the class did have a point. While he may not agree with Willow's methods, he was becoming more trusting of Granger and, obviously, she of him if she had brought him up here.

"Why did you bring me here?" Draco asked again.

"I told you. You looked like you needed to think."

"You never much cared what I've needed to do before."

Granger gave a frustrated sigh. "I don't know Malfoy. The war is over, everyone's mocing on, and I just – I spent seven years of my life fighting. I'm tired and it takes too much energy to "hate" you."

"You hated me?" Not that this was new news or anything but hearing spoken aloud was . . . well, interesting.

"Well, disliked intensly at least. And then it became indifference. You tormented my friends and me for years and, after a while, I just sort of . . . stopped caring. . . . What can I say? I'm not perfect. And you hated me for much less. . . ."

"I didn't hate you," Draco said before he could stop himself.

"You didn't?"

Draco cleared his throat, turning from the ledge. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"

Granger didn't answer but she didn't press him either. He felt her proximity before her fingers curled around his wrist again.

"You have certainly changed, Malfoy," she said softly as they made their way back to class.

"I could say the same," Draco muttered, knowing she heard him. She didn't comment though. "For better or worse?" he added, not quite sure who he was referring to.

"For you?' Granger asked. "Better possibly. For me? I'm not quite sure yet."

Draco knew they were getting nearer to the classroom, because he could hear voices. The slowed, however, still walking but not nearly as fast. "What's wrong?"

"Just thinking," she started, softly. "Do you think, since we will be working together for the rest of the year, that maybe we should refer to each other by first name?"

"Oh." Draco wasn't quite sure what to say. He had been wrong. This wasn't weird, it was surreal. . . . "Er, I mean . . . I suppose. . . . If you want."

"Okay." She stepped forward, her fingers brushing against his cheekbones before lifting up the blindfold. When he could see her, she was smiling, if slightly. "Draco."

She handed him the blindfold as he continued to stare at, shock and confused mostly. The old Granger had been downright predictable but this new girl? He had no way to describe her.

"Thank you . . . Hermione," he said. The name tasted almost strange coming from his mouth. But her smile widened and relaxed an d he didn't let it bother him again.

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**A/N: He everyone, I apologize for this taking so long. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you'll review and tell me what you think. Thanks you guys :-D**


	8. Places

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

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_Dear_

No.

That was a horrible start for this particular letter.

Biting the inside of his cheek and scratching out the first word he put quill to paper once more.

_Potter_

_So you'd probably be incredibly surprised if you were to get this letter from you owl, wouldn't you. Yeah, I'd be too._

_I don't really know why I decided to write you this letter. I suppose it's because being around Gran_

Draco deliberated with himself before scratching that word out too.

_I suppose it's because being around Hermione_

Had he spelled it right? He thought so. . . .

_reminds me that you two are such close friends and I find myself wondering how you did it. I mean, the two of you and Weasley were nothing more than a witch- and wizards-in-training. How could it be at all possible for you to have defeated the evilest and one of the most powerful wizards of all time? Not even that, but rumor is you beat him many times before that, more times after you defeated him as a one-year-old. How is that possible?_

_I always wondered where you got your strength from. You were an orphan, a half-blood, grew up Muggle and yet you were_

Draco paused, fighting with what he truly believed and what he had argued for the last couple of years of his life.

_you were stronger than me._

_It almost literally kills me to say that. You weren't supposed to be. And then you know what made me really angry? That day on the train when I offered to be your friend. It would have been so, I don't know, righteous to have Harry Potter as my friend. But you said no and I hated you for that._

_Childish right? _

_Yeah, I know but, hey, what can I say?_

_I think, also, I was _

Draco groaned. This letter was turning out to be more self-revealing than anything.

_I was jealous. Though I had always had more than you, always been more privileged, you had everything that you could ever want, that _I _had ever wanted. You had friends who cared about your well being, you were happy, and you had a family who gave up their lives for you._

_I think if my father had ever known that Voldemort would do anything to get a hold of me, he'd have probably given me up._

_But mostly you had Weasley and Granger. I think they kept you going and it was obvious that you were so very grateful for them. I wish sometimes, that I could have people who I could have depended on, not just body guards._

Draco, however, looked over to chair next to him where Greg had fallen asleep. The boy, as if on cue, snorted in his sleep. Draco shook his head, a slight smile on his face.

_Though I don't suppose things turned out horribly for me. I have, well, _a_ friend. My mother is still here. I am getting an education (albeit a weird one). I suppose I can't spend my entire life wishing for things that I don't have. I suppose I can say you taught me that. _

_So _

_Thanks_

_Malfoy_

Draco folded up the letter. He stared at a minute, contemplating about throwing it into the dying flames, but he decided against it. This letter, though trying, had shown him a lot about himself, which, he supposed was what the assignment's intent was.

He stood, stretching his arms high above his head. "Greg. Greg come on wake up."

The boy snorted again, sitting up straight. "Huh?"

"Come on, let's go," Draco said, grabbing the bigger boy's arm and pulling him up.

Greg yawned, before trudging up the dormitory stairs, Draco behind him with that same small smile on his face.

* * *

"So how have you been lately, Draco?" Willow asked.

This was the first private meeting Draco had had with Willow in a while. Not that he hadn't been going but she had cancelled his meetings for a while claiming that maybe he just 'needed a break to get a few things into perspective'. He shrugged. "Fine, I suppose."

"That's good. . . . I would have figured what with your father in prison now, you would have been feeling, well, a little more down."

"I don't think about it."

"Hmm." She wrote out something. "So I see you and Miss Hermione have become closer. It's interesting to see how you two act together."

Draco shrugged again. He did that a lot lately. "We've come to the realization that fighting each other isn't going to get us anywhere. We've decided to work together. She's – I don't know, not as bad as I previously thought."

"Hmm." Another note was added to his already probably overfilled folder.

"What is it?" he asked, decidedly curious.

"What is what?" Willow responded, confused.

"I don't know. . . . What is it that you think of me? What is it that you write down in my file? Just what is it? You seem to have all these thoughts about why I act, how I act, and who I am but you never tell me."

"Well. . . ." Willow stopped, sitting back in her chair. She set his file down on her desk, gazing at him. After a moment, she spoke. "I think you are the first to ask that question, ever, among any of the people I have counseled."

For the third time since they had started their meeting, Draco shrugged. Willow smiled slightly at him, placing her hands on her lap. "You Draco Malfoy are what most people might refer to as an enigma."

Well . . . certainly hadn't been expecting that. "Why?"

"You are . . . confusing. When you first walked into my room, I just automatically assumed that you'd be like the others. Reluctant at first, but ten minutes in you'd begin to loosen up, even if you thought my methods were a little odd. But you didn't. You continued to resist everything I tried and when you finally did tell me, it hadn't been what I was expecting. You and Miss Hermione continue to puzzle and surprise me every time we meet."

"Should you be discussing another student with me?"

This time, Willow shrugged. "Probably not but you and Miss Hermione are so very much alike and yet so very much different. I find myself writing down things that you have said that remind me of her or vice versa. It's truly amazing knowing where you two have come from and your lifestyles and choices and yet if I didn't know better, I'd swear you two were closer than anyone would think.

Willow glanced up at her clock. "Our time is up. I will see you in class."

Draco picked up his bag, heading for the door. Willow, however, stopped him. "Oh Draco. . . . I suppose, however, if there was one thing I could truly say about you is that I know you are not happy. You continue to hide behind indifference and yet, I can tell that you are suffering. It isn't a good place to be, Draco. "

He could only stare at her for a moment before he could answer. "I think you're wrong."

"Oh?" Willow responded surprised.

"I've – I've been through a lot. More than I ever would have thought possible. But . . . I'm not unhappy. I've made mistakes and the consequences are something I have to live with, but I'm not unhappy. I'm living and trying to make something better of myself. It may take a while, but I will."

Willow could do nothing but stare at him before smiling softly. "Very well. Good day, Mr. Draco."

Draco nodded, closing the door on his way out, knowing that Willow was again marking down something about him.

So maybe he wasn't happy.

But he wasn't in a bad place either.

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**A/N: So what did you think? Almost finished I think, maybe two more chapters. Thanks everyone.**


	9. Destruction

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Draco lay on his back, watching purple and green sparks jump and dance in the air above him before disappearing, some softly, some with a pop. "That was a nice one."

Hermione smiled softly. "That one took me a while to get."

They were back on the astronomy tower, bored but done with homework and classes. Draco wasn't sure what made him go upstairs with the girl but here he was, and he was actually having a good time. Unbeknownst to him, Hermione was quite the conversationalist. She was smart and, dare he say it, kind of funny. He had actually cracked a smile or two that afternoon.

"Did you ever think," Draco asked slowly, "that when we first met, we would ever be up here? Together? Having an actual civil conversation?"

"Hardly," Hermione said, with a snort. "No offense but I never had any intentions of ever talking to you."

"None taken. I felt the same way, I suppose. Do you think it's odd?"

She bit her bottom lip, gazing up into the darkening sky. "In a way, I guess, though it would be silly to think that we'd harbor ill feelings towards each other, always. After all when you've saved someone's life or have been saved by someone, it changes things. Besides, we've grown."

"True." Draco didn't think about it much, but he supposed in a way he had grown. When his father was taken away, he took care of his mother. He would most likely be in charge of the family business when he left here. He no longer viewed Hermione as that Muggleborn girl but as his equal, a powerful witch.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione said, suddenly, twirling her wand in her hand.

"Go ahead," Draco responded.

She rolled over onto her side so that she could look at him. "What did you mean the other day? When you said you didn't hate me?"

Draco was silent for a moment before he sat up. "I forgot I have a meeting with Willow. I'll catch you later, Hermione."

With that, he was on his feet and down the stairs. Of course, he didn't have a meeting with Willow and he knew that Hermione knew that. The truth of the matter was, he wasn't sure how to answer her question.

At least not out loud that is. . . .

* * *

_Hermione_,

_You represented everything I had ever hated or at least, everything I was supposed to hate. _

_You were a Gryffindor, a friend of Harry Potter's and a Muggleborn. You were supposed to be lower than me in every way, shape, and form._

_And besides all that you were just so damn content! Every time I saw you, you were mostly happy. I waited for a moment, any moment, for you to show a crack in the armor that surround you. I insulted you, I was rude, I was downright conniving and yet you paid me no mind. Even when Skeeter put out that article, practically calling you a whore, you laughed it off._

_The fact that you could so easily smile when things were so obviously going wrong all around you made me so angry. Even when I did have it all, I wasn't happy. _

_You had everything I wanted, everything I couldn't have. _

_It wasn't fair and it didn't make sense that, knowing where you came from who could have so much more than I ever could or would. _

_I was just as jealous of you as I was Potter, if not more so…._

_But I didn't hate you. Not in the slightest. I was jealous and angry and you got much better grades than I ever got. But I didn't hate you._

_Surprise. Big shock right?_

_You might be the only person I let read your letter. That's a big might but it's a possibility. _

_Sincerely,_

_Draco_

* * *

Draco awoke with a start. He looked around the dorm room and could only see the forms of the other boys.

What was he forgetting?

He had come upstairs, tired, exhausted and he had just finished writing Hermione's letter. . . .

The letters.

Draco jumped out of his bed, untangling himself from his sheets. How could he have been so stupid? What if someone found them?

He ran down the steps, into the common room. The fire in the fireplace was flickering softly, but it was light enough for Hermione to read.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco hissed.

Hermione jumped up, startled. She faced him, clutching the letters to her chest. "Draco. I -- you -- I found these on the table and I -- hadn't wanted anyone else to find them --"

Draco quickly approached her, ripping the letters away from her. "These were private! If you found them you should have just given them back to me!"

"I hadn't meant to read them!" Hermione said. "I'm sorry!"

"I trusted you!"

"Draco, please -- I --"

Draco threw the parchement into the fire, stoking it some more. He spun back to Hermione, glaring fiercely. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to see you anymore."

"I'm--"

"Shut up!" Hermione cringed at his harsh tone, shocked and scared at the same time. "I don't want to hear you're excuses! I thought you had changed but your still the same stick-your-nose-into-everyone's-business Mudblood you've always been!"

Silence rang in the common room following that awful word. He hadn't meant to say it, he realized as he felt the twing of quilt in his heart but it was too late to regret it. He continued to glare at Hermione even as tears welled up in her eyes. Then he turned and stomped out of the room to his dormitory.

He wasn't until he was back in his bed did he realize the full extent of his actions. Not only had he destroyed the one thing that had given him a sense of an outlet but he had also just destroyed a friendship that may have grown out of necessity but had become something so much more.

For the first time in a long time, Draco cried.

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**A/N: So wow!! Almost done. Just about one more chapter. Thanks for reading and I'm sorry it took me so long to update. **


	10. Open

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Just a few things before I begin: silvereyedwolf - I don't know if imma have the couples end up together but it isn't a bad idea. They are all becoming closer though; yoyo - I may have a sequel, I'm not sure yet; someone named **** - it was rated m for the curse words; tale- I'm glad you like the story. I figured there should be some sense of growth because they are older and they have been through a lot. That is all everyone :-D enjoy this installment.**

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Class the next day was tense.

No one else seemed to notice the change though. They were working on creating a piece of art together without using magic, to encourage cooperation. Willow had left them alone, though Draco was sure she was still watching, with paint, brushes macaroni, colorful beans, glue, markers, crayons, and big sheets of white parchment, saying 'Let your imaginations, flow!'.

How corny could this woman truly be?

Draco felt as if he were in some kind of preschool.

Everyone else seemed to love the idea though. Neville and Hannah were over in the corner, heads together as Neville worked on drawing a house and Hannah drew little people (those two had been spending quite some time with each other lately). Greg and Lavender were working on making a copy of the _Mona Lisa _except with Lavender's face. Greg didn't seem to mind though and he actually succeeded in making Lavender laugh. Dean and Parvatiwere jokingly arguing about what to paint. Parvati was intent on drawing flowers while Dean wanted to draw a football game, and then he had to explain what that even was. Seamus and Padma had decided to use the markers to create their fellow classmates. Seamus, not meaning any harm but just drawing what he saw, laughingly drew Draco sulking in the corner looking over his shoulder at the other boy to smile.

Draco and Hermione sat at their combined desks, Hermione gluing macaroni and beans onto one side of their paper while Draco drew the Hogwarts' crest listlessly with a green marker. Neither had said a word to the other upon walking into the classroom yet each of the was hurt, unhappy, and uncomfortable.

It was quite obvious that Hermione wanted to say something. Everyone once in a while, she'd stop gluing, turning slightly in his direction before turning back to her work. Draco, on the other hand didn't know what to say. He wondered why no one else noticed the lack of communication between them. He wondered why hadn't anyone said anything to two of them…

Then again, this wasn't _not_ normal behavior. In previous classes, the two of them had been just as silent, preferring to share their chats and laughs for a more private setting. Why was that? Why didn't they get along in front of anyone else? Everyone else in class had decided to at least cooperate with one another, if not become friends. It was just so much easier to deal with Willow when she thought her tactics were working (although unbeknownst to anyone but Draco, they were working). He could only guess that no one had ever pegged that the two of them would become friends, much less cooperate, stubborn as they both were. So this wasn't weird to them.

It was weird to Draco though, in understatement actually. He had been accustomed to the little private things that he and Hermione had done, like the little smirk he'd give her or the light tap of his hand she'd give him. He found himself wishing they had been more public about their friendship, then maybe someone could help them peace it back together.

He wanted so bad to apologize for the foul use of that word but he found he just couldn't, his pride wouldn't let him. Maybe he was just being stubborn then, as usual. But he couldn't figure it out.

Greg glanced in his direction with a smile that died after he saw him. Did he look that miserable?

Willow came swooping back into the classroom from her office. She smiled around at the partners before moving to each couple and commenting on their work. When she finally made it to Hermione and Draco, she said nothing at all about their separate and completely different works. Instead she just gazed at them thoughtfully before moving to the front of the class to talk.

* * *

"She read my letters."

Willow looked up as Draco sat down in the chair in front of her. "Excuse me?" she asked, confused.

"I knew you were going to ask why Hermione and I weren't working together lately," he told her. "I don't feel like messing around today. I need to know what to do."

The teacher stared at him, surprised at this sudden openness once again. The last time they had met and he had effectively 'shut her down' for lack of a better phrase, she had been pleasantly awaiting their next meeting. Unbeknownst to him, she was actually learning a lot from him. Willow folded her hands in her lap. "What did you do when you found she had read them."

"I threw them in the fire," he told her, deciding it wouldn't hurt to be completely open with her for once. He was tired of the silence that had gone on between the two of them for a little more than a week now. "And I yelled her, called her a -- a Mudblood. . . ."

"Oh my. . . ." Willow said, shocked now. That had truly hadn't been expected.

"I was angry!" Draco shouted, immediately jumping to defend himself. "I never meant to say it but I did. And now I don't know how to take it back."

"You wouldn't be able to now," Willow said, slowly. "The damage has been done, by the both of you it seems."

"So what do I do?"

Willow tapped her chin. "What do you think you should do?"

"I don't know!" Draco said, frustrated. "That's what I came to you for."

"I can't fix all your problems, Draco."

"That hasn't stopped you from trying before."

"That was different." Willow gazed at the young boy. "Those problems concerned strictly and only you. This involves another person and I can't tell you what you should do concerning someone else."

"Well then imagine it only concerns me. Pretend that I am the only one involved again. I'm a suffering individual here. I feel horrible so fix me." He was becoming desperate. If Willow didn't know what to do, then who did?

But Willow was shaking her head. "That's not how a friendship works, Draco. There are two people involved here. Giving you a way out of your guilt would not help the other person. Giving you a way to find an excuse for your actions wouldn't help either of you. I can tell you that, when you enter into a relationship with someone, you must consider their feelings too. How Gregory may respond to something is completely different from how Hermione may respond to something. It's all a matter of understanding those who you decide to become close too. Friends fight, they say things they don't mean. . . . At the end of the day, it's all about forgiveness and which one of you will be mature enough to speak up first. We'll end here today. You have some thinking you need to do."

With that, the woman got up and left their session first. For some reason, Draco had a sense that she was disappointed with him. Grabbing his bag, he left the office, only to find Greg waiting for him outside of the office.

The other boy walked beside him for a moment and Draco found himself heading outside. Ever since he and Hermione started hanging out, he had sort of neglected his other friend.

Merlin could he catch a break? This friendship thing was new to him.

"I don't think she hates you, you know?" Greg said suddenly while the walked past the black lake.

"What makes you say that?" Draco asked, not bothering to ask Greg who he was talking about. It was so obvious.

Greg shrugged. "Lavender tells me Hermione's been crying a lot lately. The other girls tried to figure it out, talking to her, but she's not saying what's wrong. Lavender thinks she's homesick."

"Been hanging with Lavender a lot, have you?" Draco inquired with a smirk.

His friend, surprisingly, blushed. "Well, you haven't been around and she is my class partner. We've just been getting to know each other. She's not bad . . . For a Gryffindor. . . . But, I don't think she hates you. I don't know what you did, and I don't really want to know, but maybe, maybe if you just apologized to her, she'd talked to you again and you guys would be okay…."

Draco shrugged. "I don't think she'll listen."

"Never know unless you try."

That night, Draco sat in front of the fire, thinking. He could apologize but then would that mean he was backing down? It was Hermione's fault after all. She should apologize first!

But he knew she wouldn't, just as he wouldn't. But like Willow said, eventually if they were ever going to figure this out, one of them would have to speak up first. But what if they were both to prideful to do so?

There was a crash and Draco spun around.

Hermione lay out on the floor. She only glanced at him before grabbing her stuff and running up the stairs.

She had left some papers lying on the ground. He groaned. "I know what you're trying to do! I'm not falling for it!"

Of course she didn't answer.

Draco turned back around, crossing his arms. When she didn't come back though, he moved over and grabbed the parchment.

He wouldn't read the letters (since he knew what they were) but he didn't want anyone else to read them.

"Ridiculous," he muttered. "Utterly ridiculous."

He just simply wouldn't fall for her little plot.

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**A/N: Two stubborn mules aren't they. So I lied. The next chapter will probably be the last. Hope you guys enjoyed this one :-D Thanks and stay tuned.**


	11. Missing You

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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For another two weeks, the letters sat unread in Draco's robe pocket. He wasn't sure why he carried them about . . . Maybe to show Hermione just how uninterested he was (though he was sure this proved the opposite).

But he wouldn't. He _couldn't_. To read them would be to treat her the same way that she had treated him. It would be a complete lack of privacy, even if she had practically given him premission too.

Nope.

He wouldn't.

At least that's what he told himself as the letters lay next to him on the couch.

He eyed them again, for the hundreth time. It was taking all sheer will for him not to read these letters. But he knew he would, if this was the way to get back in Hermione's good gracious or have her back in his.

Why was he even struggling so hard?

What did Hermione's feelings mean to him?

_A lot_, he thought after a while.

In all truth and honesty, she was his only friend besides Greg. What she thought and felt meant a lot to him. Their 'friendship' had definitely been one born out of necessity, she being the one with whom he could have an intelligent conversation (no offense to the boy who he was beginning to consider his 'best friend'). But, as the months passed, he became dependent of the girl. She seemed to get that he was struggling and she didn't push him to tell his story, nor did he push her. That, must have been why her reading his letters had upset him so much. He wasn't ready, not completely, for someone else to know what he suffered, what he went through during the war.

But now she knew. . . . That put her much higher up the Greg would be for some time. . . And -- and it felt like she had something over him now.

So why not make the planes even?

Hesitantly, he picked up the first letter, and unfolded it in his lap. Hermione's smooth handwriting stood out on the parchment. Now would be the time to turn back, fold up the letter and act as if he never even thought about reading the letters. . .

Taking a deep breath he began.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I_

_I don't even know where to begin._

_I miss you terribly._

_I keep telling myself what I did was the right thing._

_I keep telling myself that I was right for sending you off. You would have been murdured because of me if you had stayed in England. _

_But that still doesn't make up for me uprooting your life. I didn't give you much explanation either. _

_And now I can't find you. Of all the stupid things this must be the stupidest. I send you guys off to be safe and now I CAN'T FIND YOU!_

_And to make things even worse, you have no recollection of your previous life, no recollection of me._

_I don't know what I'm going to do._

_I don't know how I'm going to find you._

_And even if I do find you, how do I know you'll forgive me. I always promised never to use magic on you and here it is. _

_I'm sorry._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Wow.

Draco put the letter down.

No wonder she was so upset all the time. This would be enough to make himself upset, if something like this were to ever happen to his mother.

Her parents were _missing._ And they were missing because of her.

Granted, she had done it as a way to keep them safe, according to the letter, but still. . . . There was no way of telling where they could be now.

Shaking his head sadly, he moved onto the next one.

_Dear_

Whoa. Hadn't been expecting this, not really.

_Draco_

_I'm sorry._

_Sad isn't that I can't say this to your face?_

_But I am. Sorry that is. I didn't mean to break your trust or, dare I say, hurt your feelings. I'm not used to this. Not this as in having friends but being friends with _you_. Harry and Ron and anyone else, they are usually so open with _everything_. I know every secret, every little detail with my friends._

_With you, the most I know is that you're named after a constellation and you're a Slytherin. _

_I'm not used to not knowing _something_ about someone who I, for lack of a better term, have come to care about. _

_I really do want to get to know more about you Draco. I think that's why I read the letters when I saw them. You are a mystery to me, almost like an enigma. There are some days when I think I understand and there other days where I just simply don't understand. You've know me or been around me long enough that that just doesn't work for me. I _have_ to know, I _have _to be able to understand, just like in class._

_This isn't to compare you to piece of homework or anything, though, in a way, I suppose that was what you were to me at first. _

_I was really lonely when I came here for this year, Draco. I didn't know what to do with finding my parents, I was scared because this would be the first year I came back to school without Harry or Ron . . . And then, I was partnered up with you. To be honest I really didn't know how either of us were going to survive the year. But then, you were different and I realized I was different too._

_I thought Professor Willow's class was going to be pointless. That first day, when she asked me one thing about myself and I said, I really didn't want to be there, I was telling the truth and I shocked myself because I've never just not wanted to be in a class._

Exactly what he had thought.

_But I didn't want to grieve, I didn't want to accept, and I could care less about House Unity. It just didn't matter to me anymore._

_Surprisingly, however, the more time we spent in that class and the more things we did, I realized that I was grieving and having a hard time accepting it. I had a hard time accepting you._

_You know Willow compares us to one another in my private meetings. Does she do that in yours? I don't usually get it but I suppose we are quite alike, you in and I, though it's been hard to see after all these years of House rivalry and competition._

_I'm glad that we started talking._

_I'm glad that I've gotten to know you, gotten to see a different side of you that I didn't see in years before. _

_And so I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you. I hope that, if you want, we can try to be friends again._

_This was a really long letter, so I'll just end it by saying_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione._

"Damn it," Draco muttered, putting the letter down in his lap. If he didn't agree with half the things she was saying… .

And he couldn't help himself.

He really wanted to forgive her.

He . . . .

He missed his friend.

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**A/N: So what'd ya think? There will be more to come, I've decided. I hope you guys liked this chapter though and I'll see you next time.**


	12. Bravery

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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The next week in class, Willow was excited.

Well, more excited than usual that is.

"Class, I have exciting news!" Willow said, grinning widely. "We, as the eighth year class have been charged to construct . . . wait for it," she added at Seamus' frustrated groan.

When she paused the rest couldn't help but sigh either.

"What is it Professor Willow?" Neville asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"A school End-of-Year-Dance!" Willow shouted happily.

Draco held his ears as Parvati, Padma, and Lavender all squealed.

"A dance!" Parvati screamed.

Lavender squealed again. "Oh how wonderful!"

"We can make it as formal as the Yule Ball!" Padma joined in.

"It'll be beautiful!"

"We can throw up streamers!"

"Oh! Oh! And balloons!"

"We could have an orchestra come for our music!"

"We can decorate the entire Great Hall in pink!"

"No!" the rest of the class said.

"That's enough, that's enough," Willow said, still smiling. "I will organize you into groups so that way you will each be in charge of something. Let's see: Theme, will be decided by Seamus and Padma, feel free to help whoever else needs help when you're done. Dean and Parvati will handle formal invitations. Neville and Hannah, once Seamus and Padma create a theme, you two will be in charge of attire. Gregory and Lavender, you will be in charge of music. Last, but certainly not least, Hermione and Draco, you'll be in charge of overall decorations once the theme has been established! Is everyone okay with their jobs?"

No one complained so that was it. Seamus and Padma, who had had their heads down, talking for some time now, looked up, Seamus raising his hand. "Professor Willow? We think we've got a theme."

"Well go on then!" Willow cried. "Stand and tell us! We are all waiting with unabashed excitement!"

The two exchanged looks. It was hard to tell whether or not Willow was being sarcastic or if she was truly just an excitable person. They stood and Seamus nodded to Padma. She grinned at him. "Well, our idea was a trip through the times sort of thing. We could have music, outfits and things from past decades."

"We could go back as far the twenties," Seamus said, "or even before that. But the point is to create something like a 'Blast from the Past'."

"A 'Blast from the Past' dance," Willow murmured to herself. "I absolutely love the idea! How about the rest of the class?"

"Shouldn't we set a time limit?" Dean asked. "That way, we aren't searching two far back into history books?"

"How about just setting everything in the 1900's?" Hannah suggested.

"Sounds good," Willow said, smiling. "Do we all agree? Well, wonderful! How about we end class early today. You all can back next week with some new ideas. Have a splendid evening!"

The class strolled out of the classroom, different from the usual rush and ramble to get away. Gregory stopped to walk with Draco but the Lavender pulled him away ("Come on Greg, we have so much to plan! I think this is so exciting, what about you? So I was thinking –")

Before he knew it, however, just he and Hermione were in the hallway, walking towards the dorm.

Draco looked at the girl from the corner of his eye, noticing she was trying not to look at him. Her arms clenched tighter around her books, a sign that she was going to speed up and away he realized.

"Hermione," he started.

She sighed softly, slowing down, "Draco, I –".

"I'm still working on it," he said, cutting her off. They stopped in the middle of the hallway. Hermione turned to face him, looking confused. "I'm still – I'm not used to this, or should I say, _you_. I'm not quite sure how to act around you yet. Or maybe it's just people in general. But, you're different, and I'm still learning and I still need time to become used to this. I'm – sorry. . . . I really am, both for what I said and how I acted. I hope that you can forgive me."

When he looked up, she was smiling at him. "You're braver than I am."

"How so?"

"To admit something like that. Most people would be too afraid to say that they didn't understand something. And you apologized first."

"Technically you did."

She shook her head. "Apologizing in a letter and apologizing face to face are two completely different things. Braver. . . . But I am sorry. So very –"

He held up his hand, smiling at her. A real smile. "I know," he told her.

She hesitated for a moment before smiling back, brightly. "Want to go to the astronomy tower? Plan out these decorations?"

"Sure."

They started up the hallway, Hermione suddenly breaking into conversation about something or other that Draco didn't really understand but that he didn't mind listening to.

Things were finally becoming normal again.

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**A/N: So only a couple of chapters left (for real this time). I hope you guys enjoyed it and thank you for reading. I'll see you next time.**


	13. New

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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_Ask her._

"So I was thinking, instead of just pulling decorations from one decade, we could pull something from all the decades. . . . ."

_Ask her._

"Say, the twenties, we could find a roulette table and from, I don't know, the seventies we could find a disco ball. . . ."

_ASK HER._

"This way, we show a sort of fairness to the century. What do you think, Draco?"

_ASK HER!_

"Draco, are you feeling alright?"

_JUST BLOODY ASK HER!_

"Will you go to the dance with me?" Draco blurted out.

He had been working up the nerve now, for a few days. He knew he had wanted to ask her, before someone else did. No matter how anti-social she had been for the year, it didn't mean that other people hadn't noticed her. Some idiotic seventh-year Gryffindor had been given her the eye in the Arithmancy class since the beginning and Draco would be damned if she went with that guy.

But now, he regretted it, what with her staring at him with this confused expression. "What?"

"Forget it," Draco said, angrily. "Forget I even asked, okay?"

"No, I mean," Hermione looked down at her notepad for a second before looking back at him, "you're not just asking me because our class is all going with their partners are you?"

"What? They are?"

"Yes. Neville's going with Hannah, Seamus with Padma, Dean with Parvati, and even Lavender's going with Gregory. I guess because otherwise it's going to have to be someone younger. I just figured it would be a matter of time before you asked me to go to and –"

"No! I didn't even know they were doing that. I asked because I actually want you to go with me."

"Oh." Hermione, surprisingly, blushed. "Oh, okay. Um – I'd like to go with you Draco."

"Really? Um, okay, great." Draco blushed too. This was ridiculous. Malfoys didn't blush.

Draco cleared his throat. This was so awkward. "So, er, about these decorations."

* * *

The preparations were in full swing.

Well, almost.

It was nerve-racking, planning a dance.

What if others didn't like it?

What if things didn't flow?

What if? What If? WHAT IF?

Those were the sort of questions the Eight-years were asking each other. After some discussion, it was decided to restrict the theme to four decades: 1900's, 1920's, 1950's, and the 1970's. It was so much easier this way for Neville and Hannah to give examples of fashions, Gregory and Lavender to find music, and Hermione and Draco to find decorations.

"Well, how do you want to do it?" Draco asked, standing in the Great Hall.

"Maybe," Hermione said, frowning. She 'hmmed' to herself. "Maybe we could set the four corners as the four different decades."

Draco shrugged. "Works for me."

"Don't just agree because you have no ideas."

"I'm not! I like the idea, I swear."

Hermione shook her head, smiling. "Okay well, this can be the corner for the 1900's. That'll be the 20's, that'll be 50's and that'll be 70's."

"Okay. We could find some sort of dividers to mark the different decades, like, I don't know, streamers."

"We could make each section a color too, so that it's defined."

"Okay."

"So, er, what decade did you want to go as?" Hermione asked, blushing again.

"Oh uh." He hadn't forgotten they were going together but he had forgotten costumes. "It could – it could be up to you. I don't mind."

"Well . . . I'm kind of favoring the 1900's. You know, hoop skirts and such."

Draco nodded. If he had to dress up he would definitely feel more comfortable in something like a three-piece suit than something like (what had Neville called them? Oh right) bell bottom jeans. "Sounds fine."

"Okay. . . . Now, we need to, er, pick out exactly what we want."

Draco, for the life of him, couldn't figure out what was so awkward now. He looked out the corner his eye at Hermione, who was writing down notes and talking very fast. He smiled.

Things had gotten back to normal with them as far as talking but this . . . this was something totally new.

He kind of liked it.

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**A/N: Lol awkward fun :-D next chapter should be the dance. Hope you guys liked it. See you next time.**


	14. End of Year Dance

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Just wanna say Yo Yo you rock! Thanks for your support.**

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Draco couldn't believe he was actually going through with this. Taking Hermione to a dance in this very formal attire. He must be out of his mind. Was this like a date?

He stood up, standing in front of the long mirror in his dorm room. Seamus came out of the bathroom, dressed in a gray suit with his hair slicked; the sleek fashion of the 1950's is what Padma had said. "Hey, Draco! Looking good!"

Draco smiled at the other boy before looking at himself in the mirror. He wore a black long tail coat and trousers with a dark green waist coat and white bow tie, a white winged-collar shirt under all that. His hair was slicked back like it used to be when he was younger. "Thanks. You're not looking so bad yourself."

"Eh, Padma picked it out." The other boy smirked as both boys put their shoes on. "It would have been hopeless for me to pick out my own outfit. What about you?"

"Hermione and I didn't really discuss it. This will be the first time I've seen her costume and vice versa."

"That's definitely trust there. It's weird you know, how tight you guys have gotten. I always thought you two would be the least likely."

"Yeah." Funny. Draco had thought the same thing.

"But I'm actually glad we all came back here." Seamus grinned. "Even you and Greg. You two aren't so bad for no-good Slytherins."

"You aren't so bad for a lousy Gryffindor, Seamus." Draco smiled back. He hadn't talked to Seamus much but when he did, he found the boy entertaining to say the least.

"See ya at the dance!" The other boy hurried out the room and down the steps.

Draco checked himself in the mirror once more before following. He hoped he hadn't kept Hermione waiting too long.

"Sorry," he said, entering the Common room where he could see her profile.

"You're fine," she responded, standing and turning towards him.

Draco stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

Hermione Granger was a pretty girl. He had seen that almost four years ago, at the Yule Ball. But tonight . . . tonight she was _gorgeous_.

She wore a long and flowing high waist, off the shoulder dark green dress that almost exactly matched his waistcoat and long matching gloves. There were little jewels on the front of the bodice and she wore her hair pinned back from her face in large curls that hit her back just under her shoulders.

"I couldn't find any thing with a hoop," she muttered, smoothing out her dress. "This is the best themed dress I could find. I figured you'd wear green so I tried to find something green too. I hope . . . I hope it's not too much."

"You look beautiful," Draco told her before she continued on. He hadn't meant to say it . . . he would have eventually of course, but not then. It had slipped out.

Hermione blushed, however. "Really?"

"Y-yes," Draco said walking towards her.

She smiled at him then. "Thank you. You – look very handsome tonight, too, Draco."

"Thanks." He cleared his throat, offering his arm. "Should we go?"

"Sure."

She hooked her arm through his and they made their way out of the House. Draco was trying not to appear nervous. He could only imagine the looks on people's faces when they walked in and saw them . . . together . . . at a formal dance . . . in almost matching attire.

This was most certainly shaping into a date, if it hadn't been before.

"I hope we didn't forget anything," Hermione muttered. "All the decorations were set up before hand but I'm not sure if we put everything out. Did Willow get the food? I know she said she would but she's pretty, I suppose, spacey for a teacher. You think the music is set up? I wonder who Greg and Lavender got to run it. Do you think –?"

"I think, you need to stop worrying," Draco told her as they stopped just at the Grand Staircase. Funny for him to say that to her when he was just as worried. "I understand we're something like the Hosts but we're here to have fun too. So, let's just have fun, alright?"

Hermione stared at him almost in shock for a second before smiling. "Alright."

"Hey, you two!" Hermione and Draco looked down the stairs to find the rest of their class standing at the bottom of the stairs. They all shared the same looks of excitement and anxiousness. But at least they all looked good.

Dean and Parvati had chosen the seventies, dressed completely in bell bottom jeans and slacks and peace medals around their neck. While Parvati sported little sunglasses, Dean had gone as far as to buy a fake – what had he called it? Oh, right – afro. Gregory and Lavender had chosen the fifties like Seamus and Padma (who was wearing a very sleek evening gown), though Lavender had preferred a poodle skirt and sweater and Greg wore slacks and a sweater vest with a pipe sticking out the corner of his mouth. Neville and Hannah appeared to have chosen the twenties. Neville's outfit wasn't much different from Draco's, though he wasn't sporting a waistcoat and his suit was (surprisingly) white. Hannah's dress was a yellow flapper's dress, and she had done her hair in tight waves with a large flower and long beads.

"You guys look great!" the Hufflepuff said, giving Hermione a hug and even moving over to hug Draco.

"You too!" Hermione said, happily. Draco was surprised to find that he was glad Hermione was smiling more.

"You ready for this?" Draco looked to find Gregory standing next to him. The girls (Parvati, Padma, and Lavender) were giggling in the corner. They soon dragged Hermione and Hannah into their group though.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Draco knew that his friend was referring to the reactions of people who knew him when they saw him at this dance with Hermione Granger, actually wanting her company. "Er, what are they laughing about?"

"Eh you know girls," Dean said as he, Neville, and Seamus. "They're probably talking about which one of us they think looks the best or something."

Sure enough, all the girls turned to look at them before bursting into a fit of giggles again. Hermione's eyes lingered on Draco and he smiled briefly at her. She blushed, quickly turning back to the girls.

"Well look at this wonderful sight!" Willow came dashing around the corner, dressed to the nines in 70's attire. Draco thought he might actually prefer her this way. It looked . . . right. She stopped in front of the Great Hall doors, smiling at them. "Might I say you all look fabulous! You've certainly have come a long way since I first me you. As the host and hostesses I'm glad to see you are all here on early. The doors to your party open in ten minutes. Are you ready?"

Hermione was by Draco's side again. She took his hand.

Willow smiled at the class but it seemed as if she were smiling just at them two. Turning, she pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.

It looked just as they had all imagined.

Only ten times better.

It section of the room seemed to glow a different color and have a different atmosphere. Draco and Hermione had gotten backdrops to go with each decade and they all looked and felt _real_ (magic was certainly a marvelous thing). For the 1900's there was a beautiful bright window terrace, a breeze ruffling the yellow curtains and sitting in front of it was an antique sofa and an antique living room display. There wasn't much room for dancing there but good for if you wanted to relax. The next wall hosted the 1920's, with a casino-like backdrop; every once in a while, a waiter in a full white tuxedo walked across. Hermione had talked Draco into getting an old Roulette table and Draco had insisted on a regular table, with champagne glasses (of course without the real champagne but there was punch). The 1950's backdrop was an old fashioned diner, completely with a real jukebox. It was the least decorated section but it still looked really fun. The last section was the 1970's and it had to be the best section. The backdrop hosted an old disco skating rink and a disco ball hung above the 'dance floor'. Dean and Parvati were over there now, already pretending to dance.

"Oh my goodness, Hermione, Draco!" Hannah called out, running up to them with Neville. Neither of them had seen the room before that night. "This is great!"

"Yeah, you guys really pulled out everything," Neville agreed.

"Thanks," Hermione and Draco said, smiling.

"Here we go," Neville said suddenly. They all turned in the direction of the door as some first years started to show (always on time those first years).

It was then that some old music came on. Mostly just a piano. It wasn't some kind of music you could dance too even if it sounded kind of fun.

"Lavender said she and Greg found music from each decade," Hermione said. "They plan on planning everything in a cycle. This is ragtime music, I think."

Draco nodded, watching as more and more people started to drift in. "It's not at all that great is it."

Hermione laughed. "Not this song anyway. I hope it changes up soon."

People didn't really seem to be interested in dancing anyway. They were way to busy enjoying the sights. Draco heard a few people pass by with compliments.

The next song came on Hermione called Jazz. They watched as Hannah dragged Neville onto the dance floor, much to his embarrassment, trying to teach him some moves that she knew. All of the people who were dressed in 1920's costumes ran out to join them on the floor but a lot of other people in other costumes ran out there too.

"Hermione, Draco!" Lavender said, pulling Greg over. "Isn't this amazing? Everyone's having so much fun!"

"It turned out nicely," Hermione agreed grinning at the girl.

Lavender grinned. "Next song's a fifties dance. Greg and I have been practicing."

Draco looked to the other boy whose blush was incredibly visible in the dingy light. The song came on soon enough and Lavender squealed, pulling on Greg's arm. "Oh yes! It's Elvis Presley! Come on, let's go show them are stuff! You two don't stand on the sidelines too long."

With that the two of them rushed out onto the dance floor. "I've never seen Greg so . . . involved," Draco told Hermione.

"Yea, Lavender can do that to you."

All in all it looked like their schoolmates were enjoying themselves. Draco looked at Hermione to find her smiling widely as she watched everyone else dance. He was still trying to work up the nerve. Dancing wasn't really his thing.

The song switched the atmosphere to the seventies. Dean and Parvati rushed out to the floor, dancing to some group called _The Bay City Rollers_. "Oh wow, they're good," Draco muttered.

Next to him, he could feel Hermione rocking back and forth . . . and across the way he could see some creep eyeing her in a way he didn't very much so like.

The next song was (of course) the first slow song of the night by a man Hermione announced as Harry Lauder. As that creep from across the hall started making his way over towards them, Draco turned to Hermione with his hand out. "Will you dance with me?"

She appeared shocked at first but she accepted his hand, much to the disappointed of the other guy, and Draco led her out to the floor.

If people were shocked to see them dancing together, they didn't act or respond in such a way. Draco placed his hands on Hermione's hips and she brought her hands up to his shoulders.

Both tried to look everywhere else: at the ground, at the ceiling, at other dancers before they gave up, looking at each other. Hermione smiled first, breaking into giggles. Draco smiled back and Hermione scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder.

This was odd.

This was different.

This was strange.

"This is nice," Hermione whispered.

And that was a word Draco couldn't help but agree with.

He and Hermione stayed out on the floor with each other the rest of the night.

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**A/N: OMG! This chapter took forever to write! Lol I hope you liked it though. Next chapter may just be the last (tear) but it's been a good run. See you next time.**


	15. The Future

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Draco walked into his last class with Willow, surprised to find, instead of the normal desks, eleven chairs surrounding a large dinner table set up in the middle of the room, piled high with all kinds of different treats and such.

"Oh wow!" Draco moved out of the way as Seamus and Dean came plummeting into the room. Seamus picked up a pumpkin pasty, shoving into his mouth. He looked to Draco. "What are you waiting for?"

This of course, sounded mostly like gibberish but Draco got the basic point, moving forward to grab a seat. Hermione appeared next to him all of the sudden, reaching over to grab a cauldron cake. "What's all this about?"

Draco shrugged, pushing out the chair next to him so she could sit down. The rest of the class soon spilled in with the same amounts of excitement. They all ate what was on the table, talking about the dance.

The dance had been a huge success. People outside of them were still talking about it, three days after words. The Eighth years were all so very proud.

Willow came swooping in then. "My wonderful class! Hope you all are enjoying the sweets?"

She was answered with many sounds of approval, many of them gargled but still very happy. Willow smiled. "Might I say, you've all come a long way. You came in here at the beginning of the year, seeds ready for planting and you've all grown into beautiful young flowers! I feel as if this is the best the class I've ever had the pleasure of working with. And if you don't mind, I'd like a picture."

Most of the boys were very grudging while the girls were almost hilariously excited (sans Hermione and Hannah), but they all got up for the picture anyway.

* * *

Moments later, the picture printed and her class gone, Willow placed her treasure on the desk next to the boxes she was using to pack her office. She wouldn't be coming back next year but she'd have this as a memory.

She stood in the middle of her class mates, smiling happily. Seamus and Dean were making silly faces while Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Hannah, and Neville beamed brilliantly. Gregory looked awkward in the picture but happy and, standing together (her pride and joy) were Hermione and Draco, actually smiling, if not as bright as the others than still wonderful, surprising smiles. She could actually see that now, they were happy.

Willow went into her classroom one last time, and noticed, a folded piece of parchment sitting on her desk. Thoughtfully, she picked it up, unfolding it. Reading over it, she smiled and a tear came to her eye. This would definitely go in her box of treasures.

_Professor Willow_,

_I know you said only five people but since one person I chose read their letter already, I don't think they should count._

_All I really wanted to say was thank you. _

_Draco_

* * *

Draco slid open a compartment door and stepped inside. He took a seat and a deep breath. The year was over.

Finally.

He had made it through, thankfully, without much hassle and he was still alive at the end of it.

Now what to do now that he had graduated?

The family business was definitely up for grabs. . . . But he didn't think he actually wanted that. His mother had written him and told him of Potion Master Adowell was looking for an apprentice and that he had actually asked what he was doing after school. Draco had always liked Potions. Perhaps –

The compartment door slid open and Draco looked up to find Hermione. She grinned at him. "Mind if I sit here?"

He smiled back. "Not at all."

The girl slid into the seat across from him, sighing not unlike he had just a few moments before. "Can you believe we made it?" she said, grinning.

"Not at all."

"So, what are you planning on doing now that school is over?"

"I was thinking of dealing with something with potions. The Potion Master is looking for an apprentice. It's possible I might be able to work with him."

"That sounds fun."

"What about you?"

Hermione looked out the window. "Well I want to work in the Department of Magical Creatures and, I've written them over the year and they have a position waiting for me. . . . But first I – I want to go find my parents."

Draco could only stare at her a moment before he moved to sit next to her. "Would you – would you like some company?"

Her eyes snapped in his direction in surprise. "What?"

"I would like to come with you if you want," Draco said again. "I want to help you find your parents."

Hermione shook her head. "Draco, I couldn't ask you to give up your life to help me."

"I'm not giving up anything. I _want_ to help."

Tears sprang up in Hermione's eyes and, surprisingly, she threw her arms around his neck in a fierce hug.

"Hermione!" he cried, surprised.

"I just can't believe you would actually want to go with me!" she said, letting go and giving me a teary smile.

"Why wouldn't I?" Draco asked, smiling.

She smiled back, softly. "Draco, I –"

The compartment door slid open, revealing Greg. "We were looking all over for you two! You think we can all fit?"

"Who's we all?" Draco asked.

Greg grinned and in answer to his question, the whole Eighth Year class spilled into the compartment, excited and loud and discussing plans for their future. Draco smiled but he was sort of upset. Now he would never know what Hermione was about to say.

But then he felt her hand on top of his in between them. It was a tight fit for all of them so they couldn't see their hands. If Greg noticed anything, he didn't say anything but Draco thought he noticed a slight smile on the other boy's face.

Moving a little, he turned his hand upside down so that Hermione's hand rested in his. So he might have had a little bit of an idea of what she had been about to say.

The future was looking brighter.

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**A/N: I hope you guys liked this story. I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks so much to everyone who read this story. You guys are great! Stay tuned for more from Suni-dlight. P.S. just want to give credit to MarmeladeFever who also wrote a story about the Eighth years. Thanks for the inspiration. **


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